Cb Richard Ellis

Title company moves into new Brand space North American Title, a firm that offers services geared toward the closing of real estate transactions, will take over 15,768 square feet of space at 101 N. Brand Blvd. The lease is long-term, officials said. Developed in 1991, 101 N. Brand Blvd. has been popular with professional service firms. Doug Marlow, senior vice president of CB Richard Ellis, represented the building's owner, Principal Global investors, in the lease negotiations.

Buck Wargo CITY HALL -- Glendale is competing against neighboring cities for open-air retail and entertainment developments and could lose out if it doesn't act quickly on the Town Center, a group of retail experts said Tuesday. The Glendale Redevelopment Agency spent Tuesday hearing from experts on urban design and retail development and from residents on what they would like, including some who want a park to take preference over retail. Any decision on the direction of the Town Center will have to wait.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- One of Glendale's greatest gambles may turn out to be a gold mine. When Los Angeles-based PacTen Partners opened the 25-story Glendale Plaza in March 1999, only 35% of the space had been leased, said Doug Marlow, senior vice president of CB Richard Ellis in Glendale. Now, pending signatures on a couple of lease agreements, the 532,000-square-foot office building at 655 N. Central Ave. will be completely occupied, he said.

Buck Wargo GLENDALE -- One, and counting. Former Glendale Chamber of Commerce President Hamo Rostamian made it official Thursday by becoming the first person to formally declare a run for the City Council. Rostamian held a get together Thursday night at Brandview Collection, an event put on by his organizing committee. About 300 people were expected to attend the fund-raiser. As many has 18 people have said they are interested in running or plan to run for the council.

Alex Coolman NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- The Glendale Fashion Center, the city's second largest retail center, was sold Wednesday to a private investment group for more than $57 million. Rancho Palisades, LLC purchased the 264,000-square-foot North Glendale Avenue shopping center from Vestar Development Company and Lend-Lease Real Estate Investments. Vestar will continue to manage the center under the deal, said Hamo Rostamian, a senior broker with CB Richard Ellis, which represented the sellers in the deal.

GLENDALE — First quarter real estate statistics show that Glendale's office vacancy rate is on the decline. Though still floating well above the county's 9.5% rate, Glendale's rate dropped from 16.2% last quarter to 14.7%, according to a report from real estate firm Grubb & Ellis. "I think it's positive for Glendale," said Philip Lanzafame, director of the city's Redevelopment Agency. "I think that as a general trend, there is value in Glendale. When you have such tight markets in Pasadena and Burbank, you're going to attract people here."

GLENDALE — Yellowpages.com, an expanding online directory service currently based in Pasadena, has agreed to a new lease commitment that has the company packing its bags for Glendale. Commercial real estate company CB Richard Ellis brokered the $12.5-million deal, which is for three floors of office space that encompass more than 73,000 square feet at 611 N. Brand Blvd. Maguire Properties owns the 14-story building. The transaction is a boost to the local office market, which has suffered from a vacancy rate well above that of tri-city neighbors Pasadena and Burbank.

DOWNTOWN — Four properties this year were the first in Glendale to be certified by the nation’s leading evaluator of environmentally sustainable development, a shift utility officials said could herald the turning of a green leaf for the city. The properties include a 22-story office tower at 500 N. Brand Blvd. that received gold certification, according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards. While the council lists one Glendale development on its website of certified properties, it has notified city officials that buildings at 300, 400 and 450 N. Brand Blvd.

GLENDALE — New office tenants continued to absorb vacant space in Glendale in the third quarter, dropping the city’s vacancy rate to about 13%, according to market watchers. The third quarter was the fourth straight period of net absorption in an office market that, despite its recent advances, still has plenty of ground to cover before it catches up to the county’s average vacancy rate of 9.2%. The county average, like Glendale’s, has also been on the decline, said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

DOWNTOWN — Thanks in part to the jam-packed office real estate market in nearby cities, office vacancies in Glendale are poised to decline for the third consecutive quarter this year, market watchers say. When the third quarter comes to a close at the end of September, Glendale’s office vacancy rate is projected to drop to about 11%, said Patrick Church, senior vice president of real estate firm CB Richard Ellis. That rate represents a projected net absorption of about 80,000 square feet and a decrease in last quarter’s 13% vacancy rate, he said.

DOWNTOWN — Four properties this year were the first in Glendale to be certified by the nation’s leading evaluator of environmentally sustainable development, a shift utility officials said could herald the turning of a green leaf for the city. The properties include a 22-story office tower at 500 N. Brand Blvd. that received gold certification, according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards. While the council lists one Glendale development on its website of certified properties, it has notified city officials that buildings at 300, 400 and 450 N. Brand Blvd.

GLENDALE — New office tenants continued to absorb vacant space in Glendale in the third quarter, dropping the city’s vacancy rate to about 13%, according to market watchers. The third quarter was the fourth straight period of net absorption in an office market that, despite its recent advances, still has plenty of ground to cover before it catches up to the county’s average vacancy rate of 9.2%. The county average, like Glendale’s, has also been on the decline, said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

DOWNTOWN — Thanks in part to the jam-packed office real estate market in nearby cities, office vacancies in Glendale are poised to decline for the third consecutive quarter this year, market watchers say. When the third quarter comes to a close at the end of September, Glendale’s office vacancy rate is projected to drop to about 11%, said Patrick Church, senior vice president of real estate firm CB Richard Ellis. That rate represents a projected net absorption of about 80,000 square feet and a decrease in last quarter’s 13% vacancy rate, he said.

GLENDALE — First quarter real estate statistics show that Glendale's office vacancy rate is on the decline. Though still floating well above the county's 9.5% rate, Glendale's rate dropped from 16.2% last quarter to 14.7%, according to a report from real estate firm Grubb & Ellis. "I think it's positive for Glendale," said Philip Lanzafame, director of the city's Redevelopment Agency. "I think that as a general trend, there is value in Glendale. When you have such tight markets in Pasadena and Burbank, you're going to attract people here."

GLENDALE — Yellowpages.com, an expanding online directory service currently based in Pasadena, has agreed to a new lease commitment that has the company packing its bags for Glendale. Commercial real estate company CB Richard Ellis brokered the $12.5-million deal, which is for three floors of office space that encompass more than 73,000 square feet at 611 N. Brand Blvd. Maguire Properties owns the 14-story building. The transaction is a boost to the local office market, which has suffered from a vacancy rate well above that of tri-city neighbors Pasadena and Burbank.

Title company moves into new Brand space North American Title, a firm that offers services geared toward the closing of real estate transactions, will take over 15,768 square feet of space at 101 N. Brand Blvd. The lease is long-term, officials said. Developed in 1991, 101 N. Brand Blvd. has been popular with professional service firms. Doug Marlow, senior vice president of CB Richard Ellis, represented the building's owner, Principal Global investors, in the lease negotiations.

Ryan Carter Still musing about what could have been, former Town Center developer Rick Caruso reiterated a warning that the death of his Glendale project could have a chilling effect on other commercial developers looking to do business with the city. "I think the clear message here is Glendale is not a business-friendly city," Caruso said. "It's not a city you can count on to do business in. This is going to scare away any developer because no one in their right mind is going to spend the money and the time in going through this political process."

Alex Coolman NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- The Glendale Fashion Center, the city's second largest retail center, was sold Wednesday to a private investment group for more than $57 million. Rancho Palisades, LLC purchased the 264,000-square-foot North Glendale Avenue shopping center from Vestar Development Company and Lend-Lease Real Estate Investments. Vestar will continue to manage the center under the deal, said Hamo Rostamian, a senior broker with CB Richard Ellis, which represented the sellers in the deal.

Chuck Benedict By now, all of Glendale must be aware that May 19th will see what may be the biggest high school reunion in history. All living alumni of Glendale High have been asked to gather that day to mark the 100th anniversary of the first Glendale class in 1901. GORDY MARTIN: Are you sure you want to talk to me? I didn't go to Glendale High school. So I'm not on the reunion list. CHUCK BENEDICT: But you are a parent of three who graduated from Glendale and one was a basketball star there, just like his dad was as a USC Trojan.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- One of Glendale's greatest gambles may turn out to be a gold mine. When Los Angeles-based PacTen Partners opened the 25-story Glendale Plaza in March 1999, only 35% of the space had been leased, said Doug Marlow, senior vice president of CB Richard Ellis in Glendale. Now, pending signatures on a couple of lease agreements, the 532,000-square-foot office building at 655 N. Central Ave. will be completely occupied, he said.